Since joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in 2023, Baker Mayfield has completely reinvented himself and revived his career. Not long ago, he looked like a draft bust doomed to join other failed No. 1 overall picks, but he's broken out of that spectacularly over the last two seasons.
It's more than just MVP levels of production that have made Baker an important piece of the puzzle in Tampa Bay; it's his growth as a leader. Go back a few years and try telling someone that Mayfield would not only sign a $100 million contract to succeed Tom Brady but would be among the most respected quarterbacks in the league -- you'd get laughed out of the room.
That's the reality we're living in, though, as Baker has matured into a strong leader in Tampa whose identity has been imprinted all over the franchise. It's not just guys still in the locker room who have his back, it's guys who aren't even with the team anymore who still feel the same way.
Robert Hainsey praises Baker Mayfield after leaving to sign with Jaguars
While speaking with the Jacksonville Jaguars' official media account, Robert Hainsey took time to give a shout-out to his old quarterback while praising Baker for his leadership.
It was a truly glowing endorsement, one that shows just how much respect there is in Tampa Bay's locker room and how even leaving doesn't cause that to fade.
“He’s the ultimate teammate,” Hainsey said. “He’s the ultimate competitor and I can’t really say enough good things about him because it was a blast to work with him. He changed my life a lot just because of the way he operates. It’s like, ok, he’s here to win, he’s here to compete. That’s what we’re all trying to do, but he brings it up every day. Always a constant reminder of what your mentality needs to be like when you’re walking into this building.”
It's stuff like this that serves as a constant reminder that the Bucs got the right guy in Baker. We've come a long way from when the team was trolled for signing Mayfield in free agency, and he continues to earn every penny of the $100 million contract he got last offseason.
The Bucs were pretty directionless, at least on the surface, when Tom Brady retired but Baker changed that in less than a season. He gave the Bucs a grit they didn't have before, one that guys like Tristan Wirfs have pointed out is more relatable than what Brady brought to the team. There's a general feeling of always having a chip on their shoulder, which stems directly from the path Baker took to get here and the team has full embraced this mentality.
Maybe it was Peter King calling them the second-worst team in the NFL after Brady retired, but the pairing of Tampa Bay and Baker has been a match made in football heaven. The leadership he's shown has helped pull the Bucs out of potentially fatal losing streaks in back-to-back seasons to keep their streak of NFC South division titles alive.
It wasn't that long ago that Tampa Bay's reputation was less than stellar, but Baker has helped change that. He's not alone in that, but guys around the league want to play with Mayfield and respect him in ways that seemed unimaginable a few years ago.
He's helped change the identity of the franchise, and it remains one of the most perfect pairings in the entire league.
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